East Of Eli in Paris: That’s when I fell in love

I’m a 24 years-old French guy, so sorry if my English isn’t perfect. If you find any mistake (I’m sure you will), please let me know so that I can correct it/them.

I already talked way too much about it on the blog (although only in French) but I went to Paris last Sunday to see East of Eli. Chyler Leigh, the singer’s wife, was here. Yes, THE Chyler Leigh that I love for ten years now. Let’s talk about it a bit (or more).

WAITING AND WAITING

Flashback to four months ago when I discovered East of Eli thanks to the song Nowhere (the song above). I was at a friend’s and we’ve both been fan of Chyler Leigh for quite some time now. I’ll be honest, I didn’t like that much Nowhere at first. What? We all say & think stupid things, right? Well, at first, I was disappointed because I thought I couldn’t hear Chyler enough. She has an amazing voice and I know that for a fact since Not Another Teen Movie or Grey’s, the Musical:

There is no sound at the beginning, I know.

Nowhere got stuck in my head anyway and I listened to it more than once. So obviously when my friend, Pauline (@Poluss77 on Twitter), told me last month that East of Eli was thinking of coming to France, I got crazy and started to promote them, especially on the blog (because I’m talking about Supergirl in which Chyler is playing the way too wonderful Alex Danvers). They needed 300 people to make a show here in Paris… and they had them in just a few days. Amazing.

Then what ? Then we waited for a long time! I started to watch a lot of East of Eli on Youtube, and especially Crazy Beautiful, which is probably my favorite. I instantly fell in love with it the first time I heard it, even though Chyler is not singing on this one. I guess I’m fan of both Chyler and EOE then. Crazy Beautiful sounds like songs I listen to, more than most of EOE romantic songs (that I like anyway, but that I don’t listen as much to be honest).

On June the 4th, it was finally time for me to go Paris. I was supposed to meet with Pauline at 4.45 pm in front of the New Morning where the concert was but when I left the apartment where I was sleeping in that day, I discovered that I already missed the beginning of the concert. How sad!

Yes, the concert was at 7.30 pm, but when they arrived, the group and Chyler decided to sing for their fans already waiting. Yes, they’re adorable like that, they just sang in the street:

Of course, when I arrived (right on time for once), they were already gone. Here I was, ready for two hours of waiting. It was a windy day but I was with friends, mainly Pauline & Esther (@TiNinja09). I have to say it wasn’t my favorite part of the day because I didn’t like the street we were in (with some hobos who weren’t nice actually). Anyway, the doors opened at 6.40 pm and as we entered, I got to discover the amazing TV shows’ taste of EOE fans, who wrote on some ads:

Right, some people are shipping Meredith & Arizona, I didn’t know that. You can see the group has a big LGBT fanbase, I guess they can thank Alex Danvers for that. Anyway, I’m sure 85% of the people coming to the concert were girls. If it wasn’t for Alex, it was for EOE members.

What was I doing here? Well, I told you I love Chyler, right?

THE SHOW

When I arrived in New Morning, I was surprised to discover that… I already went there like ten years ago. I totally forgot that, but it is an amazing place with unforgettable red lights. I really loved it the first time I went there and I have to say it is even better now. The only problem is the street it is in.

All of the show is available on Youtube and I have to say I spent the last two days watching it, and this is why I decided to write this article.

They started the concert by Crazy Beautiful, which I was prepared for because I watched the beginning of their last venue in London before coming to Paris. I was excited as ever when I heard the first few notes. This is definitely my favorite song by EOE so it was amazing that they started with this one: I was in the perfect mood for the rest of concert & I already had it stuck in my head anyway.

Then they played Hail the Queen, which is a good song too, then Child’s Play, which is one of the song Chyler Leigh is a part of. She came on stage during the song (even though Nathan West, her husband, warned us) which was exactly what a lot of us was waiting for.

Just like that, the song ended with one of their fan on stage. She had the chance to a selfie with Nathan, Chyler and Johann, then they started singing Nowhere. This is another song that is stuck in my head and I’m so completely in love with it. I don’t even understand how I could not like it immediately the first time I heard it!

Then, fans offered Chyler and Nathan two berets. Yes, French hats. We don’t wear them anymore, but we like clichés, I guess. And I have to say Chyler was rocking her beret:

Picture by @TiNinja09 (as many of the best pictures from this article)

I guess the beret inspired her because she then started to sing… in French! Johann, one member of EOE, speaks French so he translated the first part of Nowhere. Chyler learned it and seriously, she is also pulling her French off! It was totally crazy doing something like that (and it’s probably hard even though she is an actress and therefore used to learn things by heart). She has the most perfect French accent. Hum. Can you tell I’m way too fan ?

(Yes, I think this one is from my Youtube page that I never use)

Much more than a concert, that evening was a way to spend a wonderful time with the group. They sang their songs, sure, but they also took time to speak with us, to laugh with us, to make a show. You could tell how happy they were to be here on stage. They wanted to offer us a unique performance, and it was.

To be honest, it was hard not to fall in love with East of Eli. They told us some stories about their time in France, such as Chyler Leigh complaining about Sacré Coeur’s stairs (she’s so right!) or Jordan Wright who ate a croissant. Stupid little things, right, but it was so nice of them to share that with us.

Love Lit the Sky & Falling Slowly were the two following songs by Nathan & Chyler. Those songs are amazing, but what caught my attention was the complicity and the love between them. They lighted the sky stage. I mean they’re in love with each other and you can tell that simply by looking at them: each one of their moves and looks just scream their love at each other. Chyler is staring at Nathan most of the time and I have to say it is sweet to see. It makes you dream. Yeah, I guess I’m some kind of a romantic after all!

Then it was already time for Chyler to leave the stage (not to go to the toilets, thank you, Nathan). I loved the setlist and the order of the song. Fans didn’t have to wait for too long before Chyler showed up on stage (two songs). It was a clever idea. I personally didn’t care because I guess I can say I became fan of East of Eli, but I heard people before the concert saying they only came to meet the actress. This is a bit sad, I think, because they didn’t even want to listen to amazing songs and to enjoy the concert. I mean, a part of me can understand why they came, but it was strange to hear. Anyway, it didn’t matter, the concert was awesome and everyone there was really cool.

Chyler Leigh danced a bit and fled out of the stage while Nathan was introducing each member of EOE. Well, to be fair, they all danced at one point and that’s how we knew they loved to be here.

The concert then started again but they still took time to speak to us (after all, 300 hundred people is not that much, we all felt we were a part of the show) and to set up their instruments. Nathan had a lot of (philosophical) things to say, so you know the show would be good no matter what. The Siege, Glow (during which each member of EOE had a beret – and Jordan can pull it off too), U… The playlist was perfect and I didn’t see how fast the time was flying.

To be honest, when Chyler came back to sing Riptide, I was almost disappointed because I knew it meant the concert was about to end. Well, my phone was literally dying in my hands with barely no battery left and an excessive use of my camera, so it was probably a good thing, but I didn’t want it to end. I couldn’t record The Silent Kind (but they were sitting on stage and I couldn’t see them as much as before anyway, because we were in the back of room with my friends – we had a good view from there during the rest of the concert).

As the concert was ending, Nathan surprised everyone with a wonderful love declaration to Chyler. So, if any of you are still reading without knowing them (thank you), you have to understand that the couple had a difficult past, including drug addiction. Those kind of declarations are always heavy on emotions, but they still manage to keep their humor, their love and above all their talent.

I’m not just saying that for Nathan & Chyler. Indeed, the couple is a good way to promote EOE, but their complicity is spreading to each member of the group, which is why it is so good! Lost Transmission, a song to Nathan’s son who is diagnosed with ADHD & Autism, was the last song of the evening…

Well, at least, it was supposed to be but all of us screamed loud enough for them to come back. That is how I discovered Tinsel Town, the only song of their setlist that I didn’t know before… and that I loved more than many others. If anyone knows where I can find/buy a studio version of this song please tell me in the comments below (like way below actually). Thank you.

I could go on and on about the concert, but I think you get it: I loved it, from the start to the end – and by end, I mean when we told them to come back AGAIN and they performed Lost Transmission AGAIN. As for the songs, I really love how different each of them are. I mean, yes, you can tell it’s from the same group, but each one of them has its own vibe and style. It’s therefore cool to go from one to another, because it always changes.

MEETING THEM

Spoilers about the 8th season of Grey’s Anatomy below.

No, it is not over! It is only the beginning of the evening, especially if I consider my own feelings: it is 9 pm and at 10 pm, I will have talked to Chyler Leigh. Of course, I had a VIP ticket: for a fair price, I left New Morning with a T-shirt (I forgot about that!), an autograph from both Nathan & Chyler, a picture… and the opportunity to have spoken with them for an entire minute!

And yes, a minute is a long time, believe me. Of course, it is always too short, but if I compare to other events where I got to meet stars for a picture someone took in like fifteen seconds (sometimes for a more expensive ticket), it felt like heaven.

However, everyone was getting a minute so it meant waiting a lot – less than an hour though because we were in the middle of the queue. I won’t talk about the stress and go direct to the point: I bought a pin’s.

This is a picture of my bag. The last one is the symbol of East of Eli (and the first two are about a French webserie)

What do you mean it’s not the point?

Well, where do I start? My friend Pauline talked to Chyler just before me, which was the conclusion of a huge chapter of her life I think (yes, I’m writing that but I’m not her, I only suppose/hope she is turning a page). I lived it like that anyway, both for her and for me. But that’s not something I should write about – even though it was a big part of the evening. Let’s go back to me.

I started to talk to Chyler, fearing that I may not find the words but it was finally easier than I thought. Words came out of my mouth on their all. After all, I watched again Lexie Grey’s death six days before and I knew that, even five years later, I wasn’t over that nightmare episode.

Yes, I fell in love with Lexie on the first episode of the show. I can’t rationally explain it, but I loved her character from her first second on screen and she almost never disappointed me. Oh, sure, Grey’s Anatomy isn’t the best TV show out there, but Lexie lighted it during the 4th season. Well, I know she lost some her brightness during her last season, but seriously, at the end she was just amazing. Her last scene on the 22nd episode for example was simply breathtaking with an awesome performance and a speech that I still know by heart since I saw it again and again:

Then when she died two episodes later, after only 15 minutes and without any respect from her fans (Oh Shonda!), I just didn’t get over it. Like, really. Of course, I didn’t write in here at that time but I think it’s good thing because I was traumatized for at least a week (which is a lot considering I’m talking about a TV show), especially because it wasn’t the right time for that in my life… And don’t even start with Cristina’s speech during the ninth season! Every time I look back at this “meant to be” scene, I’m down for a long time, most of the time listening at Paradise from Coldplay, just because it perfectly sums up Lexie’s fate:

This is a fanvid I watched a thousand time at least – and I’m still sad when I’m watching it. To be honest, I even found my own (French) comment from 5 years ago, showing how pissed I was at Lexie’s death.

June 4, 2017: I had the chance to tell a bit of my story to this amazing actress who brought life to Lexie and this is a huge thing for me. And you know what?

Five years later, at the end of an amazing concert, she looked right into my eyes and told me she was sorry. I didn’t even know I needed that to get over it but now this is all I’ll think about every time I’ll see this awful episode (which is still the worst of the show).

How to be sad when she looked so sincere and compassionate with me?

As for my answer to that, which explains why she’s smiling on that picture… I just told her she didn’t need to say she was sorry, because I didn’t immediately get how she helped my grief of that character. Yes, Lexie is one of the very rare character that I did grieve. I mean, I watch a lot (A LOT) of TV shows (just look at this blog) and, most of the time, I’m sad when a character dies… then I go on with my life (and with the show). However, Lexie is still something completely different for me. I was pissed off for a week after the airing of the episode, because I couldn’t believe it and before being depressed each time I thought about it. Even today, if someone talks to me about that, I still feel sad.

Well… I guess we all have first world problem, right? Mine was to get overly attached to a character on a TV show. I still said to her she didn’t have to say she was sorry, that I wasn’t expecting her to tell me that (although I don’t know what I was expecting from her), and that I was happy I got to see here in Taxi Brooklyn (which is easily forgettable though) and obviously in Supergirl. And above all, I thanked her because I would not have discovered East of Eli without her.

It felt great to say that because it was a perfect occasion to thank Nathan and EOE for their amazing group, song and god, I’ve never been happier to speak English because, since I was telling them how much I love their work, I had a huge hug from both Nathan and Chyler :

After that, they signed my ticket and Jordan Wright took a picture of the three of us:

Well, yes, he didn’t immediately see the cover of my phone was on the camera (thank you again to those who told him). It doesn’t work like that, right? Luckily enough, Pauline was there to take a picture, because he never succeeded in taking it (I told you my phone was dying, I wasn’t exaggerating):

It is a funny story to tell so I decided to laugh about it, especially since I have a great picture with them anyway (thank you so much Pauline).

This meeting is an amazing memory, especially because Chyler Leigh is awesome enough to really take the time to listen to me – and to have the perfect answer. I assure you she was so focus on what I was saying it warmed my heart. She was staring at me to get every word of what I was saying, despite my awful accent and the fact that I was probably stumbling a lot. I guess I haven’t thank her enough for that.

Here it was. I met a lot of stars (well, not that much but still: a French actress, Felicia Day, Eric Balfour, Eliza Dushku, James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter), but this meeting was one of the best. First, it had a heavy meaning for a lot of reasons (and I didn’t tell all of them here) but I also had an autograph and pictures from it, a perfect memory and a lot of positive energy. It’s not that common (and I guess I can only say that for Chyler Leigh, Nathan West and of course Felicia Day, because meeting her was a five-years dream coming true).

THEN WHAT?

What am I supposed to do after an evening like that? I had the chance to stay there for two more minutes because I was waiting for Esther (DON’T CRY) and one of her friend to talk to them too. Then, we hung out a bit on the street, surprised to see the sun was still up. After that, we walked to my friends’ cars (I was taking the subway).

Well of course we stopped at the nearest McDonald to debrief the evening and our conversations with them. We weren’t the only ones with that idea: a look, a smile and ink on the hand from the concert showed us girls at the table next to us were at the concert too.

And I already said it, but since that night, I went home and I’m late in my TVshows planning and my articles because I spend most of time in a post-concert depression, watching videos and listening to East of Eli over and over again. And you should do that too if you’re still reading me after like five pages.

Thank you to East of Eli & Chyler Leigh for this amazing experience. I really hope you’ll come back to France as you promised! Thank you to Pauline & Esther for their pictures and their presence at the concert and just for, you know, being amazing friends. Thanks to @EOEAngelsFrance for uploading videos from the night and to Chloe who told me it was OK to use said videos. And of course, thank you to you, dear reader. I hope I share to you a bit of my dream!